44ft trawler-one Lehman engine

[Choices]

I have a single Lehman 135 with bow thruster.

My background was sport fishermen to offshore supply boat. One you could beat the crap out of one you could not scratch.

A single is not harder but requires planning. All else fails go bow in.

Mine does not prop walk enough to be useful. You steer backing with the bow thruster. Rudders can help in cross current.

I go very slow and use current and wind to my advantage. Look for side ties. I am at the point I can glide a boat where I want it. Crew or I need to get middle line then I leave the helm. Once in slip you lose control of stern, so crew work needs to be good.

Most people assume we have twins. Bow thruster keeps shifting to a minimum. Practice being efficient.

 

[Choices]

I have a single Lehman 135 with bow thruster.

My background was sport fishermen to offshore supply boat. One you could beat the crap out of one you could not scratch.

A single is not harder but requires planning. All else fails go bow in.

Mine does not prop walk enough to be useful. You steer backing with the bow thruster. Rudders can help in cross current.

I go very slow and use current and wind to my advantage. Look for side ties. I am at the point I can glide a boat where I want it. Crew or I need to get middle line then I leave the helm. Once in slip you lose control of stern, so crew work needs to be good.

Most people assume we have twins. Bow thruster keeps shifting to a minimum. Practice being efficient.

I burn 1.75 gph at 7 knots half loaded 1650 rpm. Prop has 1" more screw than original.

 

[Caballero II]

My GB 36 has single Lehman 120 hp. Burns 1.7 gph over the last 1000 hours. That's including the 3KW Westerbeke generator, when I bother to run it (maybe 1/3 the time). His report rings true to me. We have no thrusters. I'm fine with it. You just have to practice a little out in protected but open water, and choose your wind/current exposure. As long as you know what you cannot do with it, it's really not a problem. I take a little pride in piloting the boat where I need it to go. Learn which way it will walk, and practice back-and-fill in both directions. You can compensate for a lot. Our hull speed is also 8.04, and that's about max for us at 1700 rpm average. You do want to know what you're getting into before you enter a tight space, but then you just plan for that. Way better than buying another engine, I think.

I'm looking at 44ft of fiberglass, wood and steel plus liquids and it only has one engine and bow thrusters! Supposedly it burns less than 2 gal/hr at hull speed (8kts). I'm less worried about fuel consumption on this Mariner Tradewinds than ability to maneuver in tight spaces. I've owned larger boats but they had twins.

Anyone on here develop the skills to handle a boat this size on one engine?